


I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway

by Freckles_From_Brooklyn



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Based on a Billy Joel song, Except for Sarah ofc, F/F, Les has a gun, M/M, Modern Era, She's based on '92sies, apocalypse au, based on Newsies live
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:02:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22168309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freckles_From_Brooklyn/pseuds/Freckles_From_Brooklyn
Summary: As the apocalypse and a solar eclipse simultaneously hit New York City, Jack Kelly and his friends have to survive and escape. Based on the song "Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" by Billy Joel.
Relationships: Jack Kelly/Crutchie Morris, Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18





	1. I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway

First the sun went out. Then the bombs went off. The streets of New York City devolved into chaos. Hundreds of phone flashlights turned on as people surveyed the damage. Jack Kelly and his group of friends, who had been going to see a movie, huddled together. 

“Is everyone here?” He asked. “Race? Al? Crutchie? Freckles? Kath? Davey? Sarah? Les?” everyone responded in the affirmative except for Davey, Sarah, and Les. “Shit,” Jack said. “Dave! Sarah! Les!”

“Over here!” Davey’s voice, muffled and pained, came from a pile of rubble near the group. “Sarah and Les are under here too!” working together, the group was able to free the Jacobs siblings from the rubble. 

“What the fuck happened?” Race asked. 

“Solar eclipse?” Davey suggested. 

“And a terrorist attack,” Freckles added, surveying the damage. 

“We need supplies,” Sarah said, tearing a piece of fabric from the hem of her shirt and tying it around a cut on her arm. “Food, first aid stuff, weapons, stuff like that. Chaos breeds gangs and factions. We need to be prepared.”

“We need shelter too,” Kath added. 

“Ordinarily I’d be against this, but we can take stuff off of some of the dead folks,” Crutchie said. He held a taser, which he appeared to have taken off of a fallen police officer’s body. 

“Hey, this chick has bejeweled handguns!” Race said, looking in a dead woman’s purse. “Or, had, I guess.” 

“Dibs!” Al yelled. 

“There’s three of ‘em, you can’t call dibs on all three!” Race protested. “I get one! Finders keepers!”

“Well dibs on another one!” Al argued.

“I’ll take the third,” Kath said. 

“You know how to shoot?” Jack asked, surprised. 

“I’m a modern woman, Jack Kelly,” Kath retorted. “It’s good to know how to protect yourself if you have to.” She accepted the gun Race handed her, checking to make sure the safety was on before tucking into the waistband of her jeans. Freckles, meanwhile, had spotted a katana in the ruins of a Japanese restaurant, which to her delight was not purely ornamental.

“We should find a camping or hunting shop,” she said. “They’ll have nonperishable food and backpacks, and stuff like knives and axes, and even bows or guns if we’re lucky.” the group started moving through the streets. Jack grabbed a bat from a pile of rubble that had once been a sports equipment store. They eventually found a camping store. They took food, backpacks, and equipment. Freckles found a bow and several quivers worth of arrows. Jack found a hand crank-powered radio. Sarah found an axe. Les found a rifle. 

“Absolutely not!” Davey said. “You don’t get to run around the city with a fucking rifle!” 

“Why not?” Les argued. 

“You don’t even know how to use it!” Davey said. 

“I do too!” Les retorted. “I learned how at camp!”

“Mom would have a conniption,” Davey groaned. 

“Mom isn’t here,” Les said. “We don’t even know if she’s--” 

“Don’t finish that thought,” Sarah interrupted. “Both of you shut up. We can’t afford to argue. Davey, take the knife and let’s get out of here.” Davey and Les both did as Sarah said, and the group left the store. After walking for a while, they reached a tall brick building. Letters written above the door in peeling paint read “Newsboy Lodging House.”

“Let’s hole up here,” Jack said. “We’re all exhausted.” there wasn’t much complaint. As the rest of the group set up camp, Freckles climbed up to the roof to try and get an idea of what was going on.

“Got a report?” Jack asked as she came back in. 

“The lights are out on Broadway,” Freckles said. Everyone turned to stare at her.

“You’re joking,” Race said.

“I’m not,” Freckles replied. “The lights are out on Broadway. In Times Square too. They’re both dark.” 

“Is anything still lit up?” Jack asked, now cranking the radio. 

“Some stuff,” Freckles said. “Little patches in Manhattan. Brooklyn’s dark. So are Queens and the Bronx. Harlem’s on fire.” she broke off as a voice started coming from the radio. 

“Citizens are warned to stay away from the bridges into Brooklyn, as they may have been targeted in the explosions,” the voice said. “Barricades have been set up, and security personnel have been stationed to make sure the bridges stay clear.” Race looked like he was going to throw up.

“What’s wrong?” Al asked. 

“Spot was in Brooklyn today,” Race said quietly. “He was taking Brooklyn-- the cat, I mean-- to the vet.”

“Oh,” Al said. “Shit, dude, I’m sorry,”

“Look on the bright side,” Crutchie said from where he lay in Jack’s lap. “He might’ve gotten out alright. Does he know where we are?” Race nodded. 

“I texted him,” he said. His phone buzzed. He looked at it, and looked down at the floor. “He’s still there,” he said. Freckles put a hand on his shoulder. 

“We’ll get him,” she said. “He’s my brother. I’m just as worried as you are. I promise, I’ll help you get him back if it’s the last damn thing I do.”


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Race and Freckles go to rescue Spot.

The sun rose the next morning, but due to the smoke and dust in the air, it didn’t really have much of an effect. Race and Freckles tied bandanas over their noses and mouths and headed toward Brooklyn, ready to get Spot back no matter what. As they approached the Brooklyn Bridge, a beeping noise gave them a few seconds warning before the bombs attached to the supports blew. For about five seconds, the bridge seemed unaffected, then it began to crumble into the East River. Similar explosions told them that the other bridges had blown as well. 

“No no no!” Race muttered. He and Freckles ran to the nearest ferry stop. To their immense relief, there was a man in the booth. “Thank god!” Race gasped. “We need to get across the river! Are the ferries running?” the man looked at Race as if he’d just sprouted a second head.

“You’ve gotta be outta your mind!” he said. “‘Course the ferries ain’t running! What, you think someone’s gonna risk their life takin’ a boat across that death trap?! You’d have to have lost your goddamn mind to go out there!” he pointed to the river. The wind was blowing hard, chunks of rubble fell from the collapsing bridges, and patches of oil and other chemicals burned on top of the water. 

“But it’s an emergency!” Race cried desperately. “My boyfriend’s over there!”

“Son, I don’t give a fuck if the president of the goddamn united states is over there, the ferry’s not going,” the man said. “Find someone else who’s crazy enough to take you across, because I won’t.” Race looked about ready to cry. Freckles tugged him away from the ferry booth. 

“It’s hopeless,” he said. “We’re never gonna get him back!” Freckles smacked him across the face. 

“My God, pull yourself together!” she snapped. “I promised to get him back if it was the last thing I did, and I intend to keep that promise. Now come on, let’s go find a sailboat.”

“A sailboat?” Race asked.

“Yeah,” Freckles said. “Lucky for you, you’ve found someone who’s crazy enough to go out there.” Race looked out at the chaos that engulfed the river.

“But we’ll never survive out there!” he protested. 

“Not with that attitude we won’t,” Freckles replied. “You’re looking at the Brooklyn junior sailboat obstacle course champion. I can get us across.” she was able to find a small three-person sailboat, her hands seeming to fly as she rigged the ship. “Right,” she said. “I’m the skipper of this boat, you’re my crew.”

“Why don’t I get to be the skipper?” Race asked. 

“You don’t know how to steer,” Freckles replied. “When I turn, you’re gonna pull the appropriate rope so the sail is on the correct side. You should get the hang of it pretty quick, but I’ll help you. Your other job is to holler if there’s an obstacle.” race nodded. They both climbed into the boat, and Freckles shoved off. She skillfully steered them around falling rubble and fires, steering them towards the bay. 

“Where are we going?” Race yelled, fighting to be heard over the wind. 

“Home!” Freckles yelled back. “Spot and I grew up on the water, and I figure that our childhood home is as good a place as any to start looking for him!” they reached the bay and Freckles steered them past rows of docks before turning into one and tying the boat to a post. They got out, drawing their weapons as they walked along the dock. As they reached the backyard, a knife flew out of the bushes, whistling past Race’s ear and sticking into the oak tree behind him, quivering. Race yelped. Freckles nocked an arrow, drawing the bowstring back to her ear and aiming at the bush that the knife had come from.

“Show yourself,” she demanded. “I have an arrow on you, and I’ll shoot if you don’t come out.” a figure emerged from the bushes. He was short and muscular, wearing jeans and a tank top. One hand held a sword. The other clutched a tiny black cat. 

“ _Spot_!” Race yelled, running forward. 

“Race?” Spot asked, then: “ _Race_!” Brooklyn mewed happily as Race and Spot hugged each other tight, kissing each other again and again and again. “You came for me,” Spot murmured. 

“Thank your sister,” Race replied. “She was the one crazy enough to sail across the East River to get here.” Spot went and hugged Freckles. 

“Thanks, asshole,” He said. 

“No problem, dumbass,” Freckles replied. “Let’s go back and find the others.”


End file.
